


There Doesn't Have to be a Reason Anyway

by mcgarrygirl78



Series: Feels Like Heaven [20]
Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Drama, F/M, Family, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-31
Updated: 2016-03-31
Packaged: 2018-05-30 05:49:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6411337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Tucker marriage had been over for a decade, it seemed strange that Betsy would even care about Liv.</p>
            </blockquote>





	There Doesn't Have to be a Reason Anyway

“Cait? Cait?”

Olivia moved through the ER checking in beds and trying to peek behind curtains without being too invasive. She'd been here a million times but it had been a long time since she was looking for someone she cared about. Usually it was in her capacity as a cop and this could be a very sad, desolate place.

“Cait? Oh there you are. What happened, sweetheart?”

“It’s broken.” Caitlin Tucker pointed to her right arm. “I'm gonna be out for eight weeks and it wasn’t like a freshman gets much chance to play anyway.”

“What happened?” Liv asked.

“We had a practice game today, it’s where I get the most play. So off I go down the field. I was eyeing the goal but should've been checking my blind spots. Susannah McCready came blasting out of nowhere and roughed me up with the stick. I don’t know if it was the stick or the fall that broke my arm. Coach called her on unnecessary roughness before all hell broke loose.”

“Ouch.”

“Seriously. The doctor said it’s a spiral fracture and will take 6 weeks to heal but should heal OK. The two good things are I'm getting a powder pink cast and I think I can hustle up getting Thursday and Friday off school with this.”

“Are you in a lot of pain?”

“Nope.” Caitlin shook her head. “I had a half of sandwich and then took 1600 mg of Motrin. It’s kinda a dull thud now but bearable. I was crying like a baby out on the field today. I think someone was filming it; you might want to check YouTube later for wussy lacrosse player.”

“I'm sure your reaction was no different from anyone else’s in that position. I'm just glad you're OK.”

“I didn’t know the school was gonna call dad. I guess he was busy.”

“He was in a Captain’s meeting and couldn’t leave. He wanted to be here but he called and asked me to come and check on you. I need to text him and tell him you're OK.”

“Get a pic of the cast.” Cait said. “It’s not done yet but let him know it will be awesome when finished.”

“I’ll be sure to do that.” Liv snapped a picture and started writing a text.

Another woman walked into the room and smiled at Olivia.

“Are you the other doctor? Because I want to get this finished so that my daughter can go home and rest. It’s been a long stressful afternoon for all of us.”

“Oh no,” Liv shook her head. “I'm not a doctor. We haven’t met, Mrs. Tucker, but…”

“My last name is Draper. I haven’t been Mrs. Tucker for a very long time.”

“I'm…”

“Mom, this is Liv…dad’s girlfriend.” Cait said.

She and Liv had spoken at the same time. Elizabeth Draper’s face changed and she scrutinized Liv a little deeper. She seemed unimpressed but after a moment or two she managed something resembling a smile.

“Lieutenant Olivia Benson.” Liv extended her hand. “I wish we could've met under better circumstances, Mrs. Draper.”

“You're a cop?”

“Yes.”

“That’s surprising.” Elizabeth looked at her daughter. “I didn’t know your father was seeing anyone.”

“Liv’s been around forever.” Caitlin replied. Not quite true but actually rather true. “Dad was in a Captain’s meeting and couldn’t come.”

“Of course he was. I don’t know why they called him anyway. He always puts his work first.”

“No he doesn’t, mom. I'm sure he wanted to be here.”

“He did want to be here.” Liv said. “I just sent him word that Caitlin is going to be OK.”

“Well he needs to let me know in the future if he's going to send random people to check in on his children.” Elizabeth said.

“I know Liv, she isn't random.” Cait said before Liv could say something. “She and dad are getting married.”

“Cait…” Liv looked at her and then looked at her mother. How was it possible that Elizabeth looked like she ate something sour but was still smiling? That was a special gift. Liv put on a smile as well. “I think it probably would've been better to meet under different circumstances as I said. I know that you and Ed don’t really discuss personal things unless it’s about the children. We are in a relationship, we are serious, and I'm well acquainted with Sean, Jason, and Caitlin.”

“Hmm.” Elizabeth said. “I need to find a doctor so this cast can be finished. And it’s probably better if you just leave, Lieutenant Benson. Caitlin has had a bad afternoon and its family only back here so…”

“It’s an ER mom, not an ICU.” Caitlin tried not to roll her eyes.

“It’s OK, Cait.” Liv smiled at the teen. “I should probably get back but I needed to see that you were OK. Your dad will probably call you later this evening to double check for himself. Oh wait, he's texting me now.” Liv opened her phone and smiled. “Look, he sent you a selfie.” She showed Cait the picture of Ed giving the thumbs up.

“He's such a dork.” Caitlin smiled. “Thanks for coming.”

“It wasn’t a problem at all. I think your mom has it under control so I’ll just slip out.” She gave Caitlin a hug. “If you need anything please let me know.”

“I probably won't be able to spend the night on Friday now.” Cait said. “I'm gonna wanna sleep in my own bed with this thing on.”

“Understood. If you’re feeling better then we’ll do something on Sunday afternoon with Noah. Does that sound good?”

“Yeah.” Cait smiled.

“Good. Alright, well I’ll see you soon.” Liv turned and looked at Elizabeth. “It was nice to meet you, Mrs. Draper. You have a wonderful daughter.”

“I know that, Lieutenant Benson.”

Liv nodded, waved to Caitlin, and left the room. She waited until she was back out in the intake area before rolling her eyes and let out the breath she was holding. Elizabeth Draper was a beautiful woman with olive skin and hazel eyes. Her raven colored hair was pulled back in a fashionable bun and she wore designer clothes. Liv knew from Ed that she was the Assistant Director of Patient Care at Memorial-Sloan Kettering, which was one of the best hospitals in the country. Her husband was the Chief of Emergency Medicine at Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn and they lived on the Upper East Side. 

While it didn’t seem strange that the two women never met, most of the times exes and girlfriends rarely did if the kids weren't young, Liv didn’t think their first meeting would be like this. She'd made it through relatively unscathed; she was a big girl and could handle herself. There would probably be repercussions for Ed and she Liv didn’t want Caitlin to have to deal with any negativity. The Tucker marriage had been over for a decade, it seemed strange that Betsy would even care about Liv. She understood as a mother that it was important to know the people, especially the adults that your children spent any kind of time with. 

Maybe she and Ed had been wrong not to at least make her aware of the relationship in some way. But Betsy seemed more concerned about Ed having a girlfriend than Caitlin possibly having a stepmother. There was no way to really make sense of the situation or the former Mrs. Tucker’s motivation. It was probably better to take a few deep breaths, go back to her precinct, and put this behind her. Caitlin was going to be fine.

***

“OK Noah, let's go over it one more time.” Ed picked up one of the large screws from the bowl he poured them into. “These are screws and they never, ever go into your mouth.” Ed put the screw to his lips. “This is bad. Never eat them. They are for building things and keeping them together. Do you understand?”

“Yeah.” Noah nodded.

“So what would you do if I did this?” Ed went to eat the screw.

“No, Cap’n Ed!” Noah exclaimed. “No.”

“Good kid.” Ed smiled. “High five.”

Noah smiled and gave Ed a high five.

“Screws are for building and never, ever for eating.” He repeated. “You think you can help me build this thing.”

“Yeah.” Noah nodded.

“I'm going to need a very faithful assistant. You gotta hand me all the screws.”

Noah nodded, he could handle this. Ed was putting together a wood, metal, and canvas dresser thing for Liv. She had ordered from a catalog so it wasn’t made of much; there weren't even hammers and nails required. But there were giant screws with metal cap ends holding it together. She found the perfect space for it by the master bathroom and would move her blouses and slacks to the drawers so Ed could have more room in the closet for suits. 

There would also be more room on top for her toiletries and such. For Ed, it was another project that he and Noah could work on together even if he did most of the work. He would teach Noah about building, when the objective wasn’t to destroy afterward like with his Duplo blocks. He would teach him carpenter terms even if they weren't using much carpentry.

“One hour until bedtime.” Liv walked into the bedroom. She had a glass of red wine and handed Ed a cold beer. “You're going to start that now?”

“I read the directions; it’s simpler than I thought it would be. Noah and I can probably have it done in 45 minutes.”

“I don’t think he's ready for hammer and nails yet, Ed.” Liv climbed onto the bed with the dog, who was watching the building begin.

“This is just giant screws and we had the conversation that screws are for building and never, ever for eating.”

“No.” Noah shook his head.

“See?” Ed looked up at Liv and smiled. “He remembers. Alright Noah, we always start by building the bottom so it has a leg to stand on. Screw, my good man.”

Noah reached into the bowl and handed Ed one of the large screws. Liv couldn’t help but smile. She’d really seen Noah blossom since Ed had come into their lives. He was doing well in daycare and had his Uncle squad but with the one on one time Ed could give him so many nights a week, he learned so much. Liv still did flash cards, bedtime stories, and songs. Ed showed him how to cook and build and opened his imagination with crayons and sketchbooks. He was a great dad, and though Liv was trying hard to keep her feet on the ground she was starting to think of him as Noah’s dad. So even though she was doing the New York Times crossword puzzle with her glass of wine, she was still watching her boys put together a piece of furniture.

“Do you remember what this is called Noah?” Ed asked.

“No.” he shook his head.

“This is a pole. It holds things up or holds them together. Can you say pole?”

“Po.” Noah reached for it.

“Good try. This dresser is going to be all poles and screws, pretty easy by carpenter standards but still a respectable first project. I need two screws now.”

Noah took one out of the bowl and put it in the palm of Ed’s hand. Then he took another and did the same.

“Good job. One, two. You're the best assistant I've ever had. If it weren't so close to bedtime I would give you a cookie for your efforts. We’ll pack an extra one in your lunch tomorrow. Don’t let me forget, OK?”

“Cookie.” Noah repeated.

“Cookies are very important.” Ed said. “Cookies give you strength to do big projects like this. Just the right amount of cookies though because too many give you belly aches.”

Noah held up one little finger.

“Just one cookie? Well that should give you enough strength to run around in a circle a few times to run out the excitement before story time. Cuz you're being good in story time now, right? And listening to Miss Deanne.”

Noah nodded.

“Honest?” Ed asked.

“Yes.” Noah nodded again. He picked up a screw from the bowl. “Skew.” 

“Not yet buddy, almost. We have to turn them really tightly so that when we get it all together for mom’s clothes, it doesn’t fall apart. Carpentry is a very precise work. And precise means it takes time and concentration.”

Noah tried and failed a couple of times to say concentration but Ed appreciated that he tried. He had some speech delays but he worked well with the flash cards and recognition games they played with him. At his last doctor’s visit the pediatrician was sure that he would get there with the proper focus and attention. Ed would make sure he got there as well. He was just two, there was no need to push too hard. 

But Noah recognized words and what context they were used in. He knew what bedtime meant, breakfast and definitely cookies. He was even getting better with pee pee. Both Liv and Ed thought with some hard work he could be potty trained before fall. And then she would be able to put him in another day care class where there was a bit more learning going on for the three and older kids. He wasn’t three yet but if fully potty trained then he could learn with them.

“This dresser isn’t made of much but it is cute.” Ed said. “I think Cait would have something like this in her bedroom. She can keep her tee shirts and socks in it. I won't even scare you by telling you how many tee shirts and socks she owns.”

“I was a 14 year old high school freshman once.” Liv said. “I can venture a guess. Another dresser is probably a good idea. If she has the space we can order her one.”

“She's got plenty of space; Michael Draper’s condo is huge.”

“I think we might need to have to sit down with the Drapers soon.”

“Why would we do that?” May I have a screw please, Noah?”

“Cait told Elizabeth that we were getting married.” Liv replied.

“Oh shit, did she?” Ed smirked.

“Shit.” Noah said.

“Oh no bud, bad word. That’s something only grownups can say and we shouldn’t even say it. So don’t say that word, it’s not a good word. Cookie is a good word…keep saying cookie.”

“I was so uncomfortable with her today.” Liv said. “I wasn’t even sure if I was going to share it with you. I knew you didn’t send me there for any reason other than you were worried about your child and couldn’t get to her.”

“Did Betsy say that I was letting the job come before the kids again?” Ed asked. “Did she say it directly to Cait? Don’t worry, it’s nothing Cait hasn’t heard before. She does her best to remain Swiss on the subject and I never bad talk her mom in front of her or her brothers. I wouldn’t be opposed to hitting Michael Draper with my squad car. You didn’t hear that, Noah.”

“Caitlin didn’t tell you I met her mother when you talked to her this evening?”

She had not, and they talked for about 45 minutes. Caitlin told him all about how her arm got broken. She thanked him for sending Liv and made fun of him for the goofy picture he sent. She asked how Noah was doing and told her dad that she would likely see him on Sunday. She pushed for a little information about when he was going to propose to Liv. 

Ed asked about her algebra grade and how she was doing in geography. He was happy to hear that the injury hadn’t caused her to want to give up lacrosse, a sport she just got into her last year of middle school. Never once did Betsy come up. That wasn’t unusual, though Ed would always ask before ending the call how mom was. Fine was the reply when he talked to either of his kids who still lived at home. No one elaborated or sought clarity.

“It seems strange that she wouldn’t mention that to me. I shouldn’t known she was going to be there; I should've warned you.”

“She's beautiful, Ed.” Liv said.

“Not as beautiful as you, baby.”

“She looks and sounds very cosmopolitan.”

“Which is exactly the reason she's married to Michael Draper and not to me. Everything is as it should be. Screw, Noah.”

Noah handed him a screw. He wasn’t invested in all in the adult conversation and just wanted to build. Ed needed to focus more on the matter at hand before he lost his assistant to bedtime. He and Liv would have a chance to talk about it later. It seemed like she wanted to talk about Betsy. 

Ed didn’t particularly want to but he would a little. His marriage had been a mistake and that was a hard thing to reconcile with the three kids he helped bring into the world. He and Betsy had just been an OK couple and were bad spouses. She cheated on him for half the marriage; he engrossed himself in work so he would hardly ever be home. Ed was sure the kids still bared scars of things he didn’t even remember happening. 

Both of them had moved so far beyond that decade in time. She seemed in love with Michael, or at least the lifestyle they lived together. Ed knew he was in love with Liv and despite everything was dedicated to his work. If he had to go down memory lane tonight it would be for the last time, at least where the marriage was concerned. He made that promise to himself as he showed Noah the shell of the dresser.

“Look what we did, Noah.” Ed smiled. “Are you proud, because I'm really proud? It looks amazing.”

“Yeah.” Noah grabbed it and shook it a bit. “Good!”

Ed was glad he did that. If it could withstand the pushing and pulling of a two year old then it would make it through at least a 6.0 earthquake.

“Now we have six more poles and the hard work is done. You’re just a few steps away from your first official carpentry project.”

“Should I get the camera?” Liv asked.

“Oh yes.” He nodded. “When this is done we’re going to want pictures for the digital photo album.”

“It’s going on my Instagram.” She said.

“How many photos of me are floating online that I have no idea about?” Ed asked.

“Well, I stopped posting photos of you sleeping months ago.” 

“I hope you're joking.” He looked at her with raised eyebrows.

“I am.”

“You're not. Please hand me a screw, Noah.”

“I'm not.” Liv shook her head. “You're so damn cute when you're asleep…I can't help it. Especially when the dog curls up with you. The nights you and Ronin would stay over, you never even heard the camera going off. I’ll show you my IG page later.”

“You're lucky I love you.” Ed laughed as he turned the screw in as tightly as he could.

“Damn right you do, Captain. And right back at cha.”

***


End file.
